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Dear colleagues,

Sorry for cross-posting; Please find attached the call for papers for an upcoming workshop at the Chair of Science, Technology and Gender Studies at the Friedrich-Alexander-University in Erlangen, Germany, organized by Prof. Maria Rentetzi and Prof. Kapil Patil:

Call for papers: Geopolitics of Radiation Protection

Dates: June 13-14, 2025 Deadline: February 20, 2025 Location: Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany

The Chair of Science Technology and Gender Studies (STGS) at Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, in collaboration with the Department of International Relations and Governance Studies at Shiv Nadar University, India, invite submissions for a workshop to be held June 13-14, 2025, in Erlangen, Germany. The meeting will be only in person. Funding is not currently available, however, we might be able to consider a few requests for support.

We will also organize a session to celebrate the end of the research project “Living with Radiation” (http://hrp-iaea.org) and the opening of an exhibition with the same title, which will take place at the Siemens Healthineers MedMuseum (June 12-August 31, 2024). Both have been funded by the European Research Council (grant agreement 770548).

Abstract: Ionizing radiation is frequently regarded as one of the “most studied, best understood, best-controlled agents in the service of mankind.” Yet, the socio-political historiography of radiation in the inter-war and post-war years continues to highlight multiple gaps. The evolution of extant radiation protection frameworks through sustained scientific efforts resulting in the creation of standardized dosimetry and measurement has not been without concurrent politico-epistemic disputes. From the controversy surrounding the effects of radioactive fallout to the estimations of permissible exposures and their subsequent adjustments, the scientific field of radiation protection entailed protracted negotiations of a range of techno-political issues that, in turn, shaped the social and political history of radiation protection. Against the fraught Cold War backdrop, radiation protection involved both formal and informal knowledge production modalities. While institutions like the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) formally developed the radiation protection standards, the “citizen science” initiatives, including atomic bomb survivor’s activism and studies of strontium-90, mobilized public concerns around radiation protection.

Likewise, a handful of studies conducted in developing countries too became pivotal in politicizing radiation risks, resulting in the creation of the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR). For the developing world, however, the politics of radiation risks went together with harnessing the peaceful benefits of atomic energy towards forging an equitable international order. In putting forth a moral imperative against the testing and possession of atomic weapons, the developing countries gave a call for an immediate cessation of atmospheric nuclear weapons tests at the historic Afro-Asian conference held in Bandung, Indonesia, in April 1955. Moreover, by lobbying for technical assistance through the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the developing countries actively determined the so-called “demand-side” dimensions of peaceful atomic energy applications.

Consequently, radiation protection acquired diverse techno-political trajectories through the Cold War period. On the one hand, radiation protection frameworks aimed to rationalise occupational risks involving radioactive substances. On the other hand, the activism around radiation risks evolved into a humanitarian imperative, keeping the collective memory of survivors alive and seeking prohibition and eventual elimination of atomic weapons.

The proposed workshop seeks to discuss diverse themes, such as the epistemic and diplomatic dissents in radiation protection, the co-production of the discourses of radiation protection and equitable international order, the fetish for atomic modernity, the survivors’ memory, and the humanitarian imperative. We invite proposals on any of the following and related themes discussing global radiation protection through diverse regimes, discourses, and narratives.

Broad themes:

1. Cold war and radiation protection geopolitics
2. Epistemic and diplomatic contours of radiation protection
3. Afro-Asian solidarity and radiation ‘Moralpolitik’
4. The role of international agencies in radiation protection
5. ICRP, UNSCEAR, and the risk frameworks
6. Peaceful atom, radiation protection, and nuclear technical assistance
7. Radiation risks and atom bomb survivors’ memory
8. Quo-vadis radiation protection: Nuclear safety norms and practices

Submissions

Individual paper submissions should include ▪ A title ▪ A brief abstract (150-250 words) ▪ The corresponding author’s name and contact information ▪ The name and contact information of any other author(s) ▪ A list of keywords

Way to submit Please use the form here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=887vspaEuECd6PE1mC80YRdw6-YvYA5FpgU8RLFrp9ZURjVISEFWWTJZSkU4SEUzMkRYTjYzR0VQVy4u&route=shorturl

Information: Maria Rentetzi maria.rentetzi@fau.de Kapil Patil kapil.patil@snu.edu.in

Sincerely, Aske Hennelund Nielsen Postdoc at the Chair of Science, Technology and Gender Studies Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg E-mail: aske.h.nielsen@fau.de EASST's Eurograd mailing list -- eurograd-easst.net@lists.easst.net Archive: https://lists.easst.net/hyperkitty/list/eurograd-easst.net@lists.easst.net/ Edit your delivery settings there using Account dropdown, Mailman settings. Website: https://easst.net/easst_eurograd/ Meet us on Mastodon: https://assemblag.es/@easst Or X: https://twitter.com/STSeasst